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Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy

Who does this policy apply to? 

It applies to all employees, trustees, contractors and volunteers. 

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Purpose of this policy 

Lia’s Wings Limited (“Lia’s Wings”) exists for the relief of sickness for babies and children requiring expert medical care or relocation. We do this by facilitating the provision of a dedicated air transfer service throughout the UK and overseas and providing holistic support to their families. 

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To achieve these charitable objectives, Lia’s Wings facilitates or commissions CQC-registered NHS and private healthcare providers to provide medical services and does not directly provide these services itself. 

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In its role as a provider of holistic support to families, Lia’s Wings staff and volunteers will work in partnership with parents and carers and will not usually work directly or independently with children and young people. Nevertheless, all Lia’s Wings staff and volunteers should be aware of this Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy and work within its guidance and procedures.

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Policy statement 

In implementing this child protection and safeguarding policy our organisation will: 

  • Ensure all staff within Lia’s Wings are aware of this policy and understand their child protection and safeguarding responsibilities. 

  • Recognise the importance of the safety of children and young people who come into contact with our services. 

  • Work within current legislation to safeguard children 

  • Act appropriately to any allegations, reports or suspicions of abuse. This may involve sharing concerns with agencies who need to know, and involving parents and children appropriately. 

  • Recognise that some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues. 

  • Recognise that all children have equal rights to protection, regardless of age, ability, culture, language, gender, race, religion or sexual identity. We believe that a child or young person should never experience abuse of any kind. 

  • Ensure there is a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) 

  • Ensure appropriate training, advice and guidance are in place 

  • Keep up to date with local and national safeguarding developments 

In our work with NHS and private healthcare partners, we will communicate our expectation that their staff will: 

  • Be aware of their organisation’s own child protection and safeguarding policies, and adhere to them; and 

  • Be up to date with their organisations mandatory child protection and safeguarding training. 

 

The registered office of Lia’s Wings is at Biggin Hill Airport in the borough of Bromley. As a result, all initial contact with government agencies including social care will be via Bromley services. Further guidance can be found online at https://www.bromley.gov.uk/children-families. 

 

Lia’s Wings’ policies will be consistent with the London Safeguarding Children Procedures available at https://www.londonsafeguardingchildrenprocedures.co.uk. 

 

Designated Safeguarding Lead 

Lia’s Wings has a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) who is the Chief Executive Officer, and a Deputy Safeguarding Lead, Anna Mitchell, nominated from the Board of Trustees. The Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy are responsible for dealing with any child protection or safeguarding concerns. 

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Contact details:  

Nathalie Scott – 07793027001 and nathalie@lias-wings.org.uk 

Anna Mitchell – 07769698851 and anna@lias-wings.org.uk 

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The role and responsibilities of the Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy include: 

  • Providing advice and support to staff who have concerns a child is at risk of, or is suffering from abuse; 

  • Ensuring all staff are aware of what they should do and who they should go to if they are concerned about the wellbeing of a child or young person; 

  • Ensuring any concerns about a child/young person are acted on immediately and clearly recorded; 

  • Liaising with relevant NHS or private healthcare partners to communicate and discuss any child protection or safeguarding concerns; 

  • Making a referral to the relevant Social Care organisation if required; 

  • Ensuring the referral is acted upon and issues are addressed in a timely manner; 

  • Recording any reported incidents in relation to a child or young person or breach of Child Protection policies and procedures; 

  • Referring any cases to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) about any child protection concerns relating to a staff member of Lia’s Wings or other organisations; 

  • Referring persons dismissed/left due to risk or harm to a child to the Disclosure and Barring Service; 

  • Referring cases where a crime may have been committed to the Police as required; and 

  • Ensuring safeguarding policies are known, understood and used appropriately by staff and volunteers. 

 

Emergency action for the DSL or Deputy: 

  • If a child is in immediate danger, contact the police on 999. 

  • To make a referral of a child thought to be at risk of abuse or neglect, contact the referral and assessment team at Bromley Children's Services on 020 8461 7373 / 7379.  On weekends, public holidays or out of hours, call 0300 303 8671. 

  • If you don’t know what to do, contact Bromley Children’s Services on the numbers above, and ask to speak to the duty child protection coordinator who can give you advice. 

  • At all stages make it clear that the referral is in regards to a child in transit, and that the charity is based in Bromley – you may need to seek advice regarding onward referral depending on the child’s location. 

 

Recognising the signs and symptoms of abuse 

Staff who may come into contact with children as part of their role with Lia’s Wings will be required to undertake child protection and safeguarding training as part of their induction and at least every three years subsequently. 

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All staff should review the NSPCC website to gain an awareness of the signs and symptoms of child abuse. https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/ 

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How concerns about a child or a young person’s safety can come to light 

Concerns about a child or young person’s safety may come to light in a variety of ways, e.g.: 

  • A child or young person alleges abuse has taken place or they feel unsafe 

  •  A third party or anonymous allegation is received 

  • A child or young person’s appearance or behaviour causes suspicion of abuse and/or neglect 

  • A child or young person reports an incident of alleged abuse which occurred some time ago 

  • A report is made regarding the serious misconduct of a worker towards a child or young person 

  •  The circumstances of a referral to Lia’s Wings give cause for concern 

  • During any interaction with a child, young person or family, Lia’s Wings staff encounter circumstances that give cause for concern 

 

What to do if you are concerned about a child

 

General principles 

  • It is important that you treat any concerns or allegations extremely seriously and never think that someone else may be dealing with it. 

  • Lia’s Wings staff will generally not be interacting with children and young people outside of the context of NHS care, so in most circumstances where concerns are noted by Lia’s Wings team members, alerting the relevant healthcare professionals as soon as possible will be the best course of action. 

  • Even where concerns have been passed on, the Lia’s Wings’ Designated Safeguarding Lead must be informed, a record must be kept, and any discussions must be followed-up to ensure they have been acted upon. 

 

Disclosures 

In the rare circumstance where a disclosure is made by a child or young person, it is important to allow the conversation to continue so that details can be obtained and acted upon. The following procedure should be followed: 

1.   RECEIVE: Listen to the child/young person and accept what they are telling you. Encourage the child/young person to allow another person to be present (ideally a health or social care professional). It is okay to ask questions to clarify what they have said so that you understand, e.g. ‘what do you mean by..?’ 

2.  REASSURE: Stay calm and reassure them they have done the right thing. Do not promise confidentiality. Explain you may need to share what they are telling so you can help them. Reassure them they are not to blame or in trouble for what they have told you. 

3.  REACT: Do not pass judgement or show shock or disquiet. Explain that you must pass on the information you have received to your manager and that they will need to share this with someone who can help. 

4.  RECORD: Record what was said as soon as possible after any disclosure, and record the same language/words used by the child. Make a note of any injuries and any concerning behaviour. Ensure the record is signed and dated on each page. 

5.  SUPPORT: Offer support to the child or young person throughout any process that may happen to them. Make sure the child or young person will be safe. Get support for yourself through your manager or agreed alternative. 

6.  NOTIFY the nominated Designated Safeguarding Lead or their Deputy of the disclosure immediately or contact Initial Contact Point and/or the police if no-one from your organisation is available and you believe the child or young person to be in immediate danger. 

 

You must: 

  • NEVER promise that you will keep a secret 

  • NEVER ask leading or investigative questions e.g. ‘Was his hair brown? What was her name?’ 

 

Parental consultation 

It is standard practice to discuss concerns with parents or legal guardians and where possible seek their agreement in advance to making a referral or passing on information. Lia’s Wings staff are unlikely to be experienced in undertaking these difficult conversations, and these should usually be left to health or social care professionals. 

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In the exceptional circumstance where a Lia’s Wings team member notes a concern or receives a disclosure where support from health or social care professionals is not immediately available, the Lia’s Wings Designated Safeguarding Lead or their Deputy should be contacted immediately so that advice can be sought. However, referrals should not be delayed if this might leave a child’s safety at risk. 

 

Additional Support and Advice 

NSPCC 24 hour National Child Protection Helpline: 0808 800 5000 

The NSPCC is unique amongst charities as it has statutory powers to intervene on behalf of children if needed. The NSPCC Child Protection Helpline is a free 24-hour service that provides counselling, information and advice to anyone concerned about a child at risk of abuse. 

 

Managing Allegations against a member of Staff Additional Support and Advice 

Lia’s Wings will ensure any allegations made against any members of staff will be dealt with swiftly and in accordance with these procedures: 

  • Ensure the child is safe and away from the person against whom the allegation is made. 

  • The person to whom an allegation or concern is first reported should treat the matter seriously and keep an open mind. They should not investigate, make assumptions or offer alternative explanations. 

  • There should be no promise of confidentiality, but an assurance should be given that the information will only be shared on a 'need to know' basis. 

  • The Designated Safeguarding Lead at Lia’s Wings should be informed immediately. In the case of an allegation involving the Designated Safeguarding Lead, alternative arrangements should be sought to ensure the matter is dealt with by an independent person or referred to the named Deputy. 

  • The Designated Safeguarding Lead should contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), who will advise on how to proceed. They should also seek advice around what should be shared with the person against whom the allegation is made. 

  • The individual who first received/witnessed the concern should make a full written record of what was seen, heard and/or told as soon as possible after observing the incident/receiving the report. It is important the report is an accurate description and is signed and dated. 

  • Regardless of whether a police and/or Children’s Social Care investigation follows, Lia’s Wings will ensure an internal investigation takes place and consideration is given to the operation of disciplinary procedures. 

  • The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) should follow up to ensure that any referral made by the organisation has been acted upon. 

 

Referral to DBS 

Where advised by the LADO, a referral should be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service. Guidance and relevant forms can be found online: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbs-referrals-form-and-guidance 

 

Recording and managing confidential information 

Where possible, recording and managing confidential information should be done by health or social care professionals. In the rare circumstance where Lia’s Wings staff are involved in managing a safeguarding concern without professional support, information should be recorded as noted throughout the policy. Any information recorded must be as accurate and complete as possible and all notes should be signed and dated on each page. 

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All information must be stored securely and in accordance with data protection legislation, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). 

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Information sharing 

Lia’s Wings is very unlikely to be in the position of being the sole organisation holding key information regarding a child or young person. Where possible, any information sharing should be under the advice and guidance of a health or social care professional. 

Information shared about an individual should be done with informed consent from the individual or their parent or guardian. Where possible, Lia’s Wings will respect the wishes of those who do not consent to share confidential information. Information can still be shared without consent if there is good reason to do so, such as where safety may be at risk. 

 

Safer recruitment 

Lia’s Wings will include their commitment to safeguarding and promoting the interests of children as part of the recruitment process. 

Staff in roles that involve interacting with the public will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS check. 

 

Responsibilities of the trustees 

Trustees are ultimately accountable for all that happens within their organisation, and this includes the implementation of effective safeguarding procedures. 

 

The trustees will approve the Child Protection and Safeguarding policy and ensure it is available to all staff and implemented correctly. It will be reviewed and updated at least every three years, or if there is any significant change in relevant guidance or legislation. At least one healthcare professional from a partner organisation will be invited to review the policy. 

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The Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy will undertake approved and nationally recognised Child Protection and Safeguarding training at least every two years. Other trustees may also choose to undertake training. 

 

Distributing/reviewing policies and procedures  

The Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy will be displayed on the Lia’s Wings website. This policy will be reviewed annually.  

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